Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 24

024. Spiritual Spot (2)

November 24, 2021

‘I’m so sick of penalties now.’ I experienced a penalty just once. That terrible experience of having my accumulated lifespan halved is something I absolutely don’t want to go through again. Besides, I can’t let some random ghost ruin my gold mine. When Yeon-woo arrived at the pond.

Two staff members were approaching hesitantly, relying on the faint light of their cell phones. “Stop.” Yeon-woo stopped them. “If you guys step forward now, you’ll fall in too.” They wouldn’t be helpful; they would only become additional sacrifices to the water ghost’s feast. Leaving those words behind, Yeon-woo jumped straight into the water.

***

‘It was supposed to be shallow.’ The water Yeon-woo jumped into was deep enough to completely submerge his head. ‘Looks like a pretty old water ghost.’ An eerie feeling emanated from all directions. It was the water ghost’s domain, distorting space. In reality, it’s a shallow pond, but it’s different within the water ghost’s domain. This is why Min Ye-rin is submerged and unable to surface.

‘Time is running out.’ The water was murky and dark, so dark that nothing could be seen. However, Yeon-woo fearlessly reached out his hand downwards. Suddenly, he saw a white fingertip. “……!” It was Min Ye-rin, struggling to get above the water. As he forcefully grabbed her hand, Min Ye-rin’s eyes snapped open. And at that moment.

-Ding!

[Acquirable lifespan: +80 days]

A cheerful notification sound was heard even underwater. At the same time,

-Name: Min Ye-rin (27/Female)

-Occupation: Famous Actress

-Disposition: Absolutely Neutral

-Skills: Stable Vocalization, Perfect Diction, Intent Delivery, Emotional Synchronization…….

Min Ye-rin’s status window appeared. More lifespan than expected and Min Ye-rin’s detailed information popped up, but Yeon-woo skimmed through it. Now was not the time to pay attention to that. Every second was crucial. [This is mine……! Mine……!]

The water ghost noticed the anomaly. The water ghost, who had been dragging her into the deep water, reached out and stirred with its rotten hand. [Let’s go together……. Let’s go together…….] An eerie feeling flickered from the hollow black eye sockets. ‘Go together my ass.’ Far from being intimidated, it seemed to be a long-dwelling earthbound spirit, reaching out to him as well. With a guy like this, it would have been impossible for Min Ye-rin to escape.

[Let’s go together……. Let’s go…….] The vicious part of the water ghost is this: once it catches a target, it never lets go. On land, it might be different, but in the water, its obsession naturally leads to death.

[Toge……ther……. Ugh……!]

The torn corners of its grinning, fleshy mouth twisted miserably. It was because Yeon-woo waved his hand once, and the black threads like water plants wrapped around Min Ye-rin’s ankles snapped powerlessly. Not missing that moment, Yeon-woo used his strength to pull Min Ye-rin up.

“…….”

“…….”

For a moment, the two people’s eyes met. But that was only for a moment. Min Ye-rin’s eyes closed powerlessly. The time she had been in the water was only about two minutes, but she must have panicked being dragged in by the water ghost, so the perceived time would have been even longer. It was surprising that she still had consciousness.

[Aaaaaaaah……! Why are you interfering with me……! That’s mine……!]

The water ghost did not give up and wildly waved its festering, fleshy hands. A sticky, eerie feeling wrapped around Yeon-woo’s arms and legs. But that was only for a moment.

[Kkeuaaaaaaack……!]

A long scream rang out. The water ghost’s form shattered and melted into the water. And after a while.

Splash!

Yeon-woo, completely soaked, walked out to the shore.

“Gasp! Ye-rin!”

“Medical team is on standby!”

With Min Ye-rin limp in one arm.

***

Outdoor shooting involves many variables. Unexpected emergency situations can occur, so medical teams are often on standby, and this was exactly the case. “Min Ye-rin is okay now.” The haggard-looking Writer Min approached and informed him of the situation. “I thought my blood was running dry. Whew……. If it weren’t for Yeon-woo, something really big could have happened. Min Ye-rin was looking for Yeon-woo, but I told her to rest first.”

“You did well.” Yeon-woo replied, wiping off the water with blankets that the staff had brought in abundance. While the medical team was performing CPR on Min Ye-rin after Yeon-woo pulled her out of the water, the lights were fortunately restored.

“I don’t know what’s going on, really…….” Writer Min continued to stroke her chest, saying that what went out and came back wasn’t the lights but her mind. “But I heard it was so deep there? I heard our staff almost got into danger, but Yeon-woo stopped them. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“It would be good to let Yeon-woo rest first, Writer.”

“Oh my. Look at my mind. Yeon-woo must be out of it too, I’m sorry. I was so surprised……. Seong-hyun, please take good care of Yeon-woo. Okay?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Please go ahead. You have to check the set too.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Writer Min left to handle the chaotic atmosphere of the set.

“Yeon-woo, aren’t you being too reckless?” Kwon Seong-hyun naturally took the towel from Yeon-woo’s hand and started drying Yeon-woo’s hair instead. “I can do it myself.”

“Then Yeon-woo, dry yourself. I’ll dry your hair. It’s early summer, but it’s in the mountains and at night, so if you don’t dry it quickly, you might catch a cold.”

Strange. It’s a very gentle tone, but somehow it feels like I’m being nagged. “Are you perhaps angry?”

“Does it look like that?”

“A little……?”

“Oh dear. I’ve been read by Yeon-woo too.” Kwon Seong-hyun awkwardly wiped his face. “Yeon-woo didn’t have to do such a dangerous thing. Someone else could have done that.”

“They couldn’t have.”

“What do you mean?”

“Here. Can’t you really feel it?”

“Feel what?”

He really doesn’t seem to know. “Here, it’s a ghost field, isn’t it?”

Kwon Seong-hyun’s deep eyes blinked. “Yes?”

[Right, Actor. I told you. You don’t have to worry. Anyway, it was something only Yeon-woo could do. Nothing bad would have happened to Yeon-woo. Water ghosts are totally easy for him!]

“There was a water ghost……?!” Kwon Seong-hyun exclaimed in a rarely surprised voice. [Shh, shh! The people here don’t know that! They probably just felt it was a bit cold, unpleasant, eerie, and gloomy, right?]

“I didn’t know that……?”

[Of course not. Our actor has a power that prevents such things from approaching! Our actor’s surroundings are safe.]

In the case of Kwon Seong-hyun, who has spiritual powers, there are two possibilities. First, if the power is weak, he is tormented by all sorts of *japgwi* [minor or miscellaneous spirits] that come to covet the power. Second, if the power is strong, most *japgwi* cannot even approach due to the pressure of the power. Here, Kwon Seong-hyun is the second case. However, the only thing is that in the second case, something other than *japgwi* has a higher probability of sticking to him? Anyway, the important thing is not that.

“Ah……. So that’s why you said only Yeon-woo could do it. I understand. But please don’t worry me too much.”

“Yes. Well…….”

The words spoken in a desperate tone by a human who is so handsome that his eyes pop out are incredibly powerful. Yeon-woo couldn’t help but nod. “Dong-ja said you’d be fine, but still, please get some rest, Yeon-woo. Min Ye-rin doesn’t seem to be in very good condition either, so I don’t think filming will proceed right away.” Kwon Seong-hyun said as they moved to the accommodation they had secured. However, the next day, that prediction was completely wrong.

“Uh……. Scene 37 is being reshot……? Seong-hyun, you need to get ready too.” The manager, who had heard the news from a staff member who came in the morning, delivered the news. “Already?”

“Yeah……. The director tried to stop her, but Min Ye-rin insisted on pushing through, saying she didn’t want to cause trouble because of this……?”

***

“Are you here?” Writer Min, who approached cheerfully, greeted Yeon-woo, who was just a supporting manager, in a friendly manner. She brought a drink with the brand logo printed on it and handed it to him. “Mint chocolate frappuccino, right? With java chips. Extra whipped cream to make it sweet.”

“How did you know?” At Yeon-woo’s question, Writer Min chuckled softly. “I didn’t figure it out myself; that person over there brought it. When I asked who it was for, they said it was for Yeon-woo?” Writer Min pointed to where Min Ye-rin was standing.